Biotics are a big class of curiosity within the dietary complement trade, with postbiotics being the latest inductee to affix the ranks of pre- and probiotics. Though their introduction to the trade was solely a couple of decade or so in the past, the postbiotic dietary supplements market was valued at $1.6 billion in 2021,1 and estimated to achieve $3 billion by 2031 with a compound annual development fee of 6.8 p.c. Postbiotics are trending, and Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) is a type of postbiotics. Earlier than leaping right into a dialogue of AKK, nevertheless, let’s first outline postbiotics.
Defining Postbiotics
However what precisely are postbiotics? Based on Worldwide Scientific Affiliation for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), postbiotics are outlined as “a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their parts that confers a well being profit on the host.”2 Basically, a postbiotic might be any just about any probiotic that has been pasteurized or heat-treated, and but nonetheless supplies well being advantages—a type of zombie probiotic if you’ll. Now, if you’re questioning how a probiotic that has been pasteurized or heat-treated can nonetheless have advantages, contemplate the next.
Scientific proof means that the helpful well being advantages of probiotics are usually not essentially immediately associated to viable micro organism in all situations. Reasonably, the helpful results of probiotics are sometimes based mostly on micro organism metabolites, akin to butyric acid. Postbiotic parts are various and carry out effectively when in comparison with stay probiotics when it comes to expertise, security and value. Postbiotics have been proven to have bioactivities akin to antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and immunomodulation. Furthermore, quite a few research have revealed the numerous potential of postbiotics for illness therapy. Inactivation is a key step within the manufacturing of postbiotics. Probably the most basic is thermal inactivation or pasteurization which has been used for hundreds of years to inactivate microorganisms. Pasteurization and sterilization are used virtually each day for meals preservation.3
What’s AKK?
AKK is a human intestinal microorganism (aka a probiotic). It colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of people and different animals and may be discovered throughout the intestinal mucosal layer of intestinal epithelial cells in addition to within the caecum (an space at the start of the big gut).4 It’s present in about 90 p.c of wholesome people, making up about 1 p.c to three p.c of the fecal microbiota and colonizing the intestine in the course of the first 12 months of life. As a nutraceutical, AKK is offered in each probiotic and postbiotic varieties.
AKK Features
AKK’s major perform revolves across the degradation of mucin proteins (i.e., closely glycosylated proteins that type the structural parts of mucus), serving as a gatekeeper of intestinal permeability, and thus, influencing the integrity of the gut-brain axis.5 Its prevalence can lower with age or within the presence of illness states.6 The abundance of AKK is related to much less metabolic illness, together with weight problems, kind 2 diabetes and hypertension. This has been demonstrated in human analysis.7-9
AKK Features in Weight Loss
A major issue linked to the presence of AKK is longer meals transit time, which means digestion takes longer within the intestines.10,11 This ends in heightened nutrient absorption and an prolonged feeling of satiation after consuming. Prolonged meals transit time, resulting in decreased urge for food, can also be a noteworthy impact noticed in one of many world’s most generally used prescribed drugs for diabetes administration and weight reduction—semaglutide, accessible underneath model names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.12 This phenomenon seems to be attributed to the pure activation of a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inducing protein by AKK.13
Moreover, throughout a six-week interval of caloric restriction in a human study14 adopted by a six-week weight stabilization weight-reduction plan in obese and overweight adults (N=49, together with 41 girls), fecal AKK abundance was measured. The outcomes have been that, at baseline, AKK was inversely associated to fasting glucose, waist-to-hip ratio and subcutaneous adipocyte diameter. Topics with increased gene richness and AKK abundance exhibited the healthiest metabolic standing, significantly in fasting plasma glucose, plasma triglycerides and physique fats distribution. People with increased baseline AKK displayed better enchancment in insulin sensitivity markers and different scientific parameters after caloric restriction.
So, what occurs when AKK is given as a complement, particularly when it’s given as a postbiotic? Let’s begin with a mouse research.
Mouse Research on AKK for Weight Loss
A study15 was performed to research the consequences of pasteurized (postbiotic) AKK on whole-body vitality metabolism throughout high-fat weight-reduction plan feeding of mice. The outcomes have been that day by day oral administration of pasteurized AKK alleviated diet-induced weight problems. This impact was related to a rise in vitality expenditure and spontaneous bodily exercise. It was noticed that therapy with pasteurized AKK elevated vitality (i.e., calorie) excretion within the feces. In conclusion, these information additional help the influence of concentrating on the intestine microbiota through the use of particular micro organism to manage whole-body vitality metabolism.
Human Research on AKK for Weight Loss
A 3-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial16 divided 32 obese/overweight individuals with insulin resistance into three teams, with two intervention teams receiving 10 billion CFU of stay (probiotic) or pasteurized (postbiotic) AKK day by day for 3 months. The first endpoints have been on security, tolerability and metabolic parameters (i.e., insulin resistance, circulating lipids, visceral adiposity, physique mass). The secondary outcomes have been the intestine barrier perform (i.e., plasma lipopolysacharrides (LPS) and intestine microbiota composition. The outcomes have been that AKK was protected and effectively tolerated, and pasteurized AKK was simpler than stay AKK. In comparison with the placebo, pasteurized AKK improved insulin sensitivity (+28.62 p.c, P=0.002), decreased insulinemia (-34.08 p.c, P=0.006) and plasma complete ldl cholesterol (-8.68 p.c, P=0.02). Though it fell wanting reaching statistical significance, pasteurized AKK supplementation decreased physique weight (-2.27 kg [~5 lbs], P=0.091) as in comparison with the placebo group, and fats mass (-1.37 kg [~3 lbs], P=0.092) and hip circumference (-2.63 cm, P= 0.091) as in comparison with baseline. AKK decreased the degrees of related blood markers of liver dysfunction and irritation whereas the general intestine microbiome construction was unaffected. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept research confirmed that the intervention was protected and well-tolerated and that the supplementation with AKK improves a number of metabolic parameters.
A Human Research on AKK Associated to Metabolic Signatures
Diminished ranges of AKK within the intestine microbiota is a broadly accepted signature related to obesity-related metabolic problems. Utilizing untargeted metabolomics profiling of fasting plasma, a study17 geared toward figuring out metabolic signatures related to helpful properties of stay (probiotic) and pasteurized (postbiotic) AKK (10 billion CFU) when administrated to a cohort of insulin-resistant people with metabolic syndrome. Outcomes confirmed that there was an induction in ketogenesis via enhanced β-oxidation (i.e., fats burning). The information confirmed that two totally different ketone our bodies tended to extend within the group given the pasteurized AKK, though each stay and pasteurized AKK teams skilled elevated ketogenesis.
AKK Security
Pasteurized AKK research have been performed in vitro and as a toxicity study18 in rats. Pasteurized AKK was administered at doses of 75, 375 or 1500 mg/kg physique weight/day (equal to 480 million, 2.4 billion, or 9.6 billion CFU/kg physique weight/day) for 90 consecutive days. The research assessed potential results on scientific observations, physique weight, meals and water consumption, scientific pathology, organ weights, and macroscopic and microscopic pathology. The outcomes of each in-vitro genotoxicity research have been detrimental. No check item-related adversarial results have been noticed within the 90-day research; due to this fact, 1,500 mg/kg physique weight/day (the best dose examined, was established because the no-observed-adverse-effect-level. These outcomes help that pasteurized AKK is protected to be used as a meals ingredient. Likewise, the European Fee, the EFSA Panel on Vitamin, Novel Meals and Meals Allergens (NDA) additionally discovered pasteurized AKK to be protected for consumption.19
The AKK001 Pressure
As with all pro- or postbiotic, particular strains could provide advantages past the genus and species. Such is the case with the pressure AKK001 (distributed within the U.S. by Nutraland USA) which was cultivated utilizing samples from 30 centenarians in Rugao, a city in China recognized for the longevity of its residents.20 In 2020, 5 probiotics, together with the AKK001 pressure, have been utilized in a 12-week parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study21 for the therapy of kind 2 diabetes. Outcomes have been that, in contrast with the placebo group, topics receiving AKK001 and the opposite probiotics skilled important enhancements within the major end result of glucose complete space underneath the curve (AUC, -36.1 mg/dL/180 min, p=0.0500) and enhancements within the secondary outcomes of glycated hemoglobin (A1c, -0.6, glucose) and incremental-AUC (-28.6 mg/dL/180 min).
In 2019, scientific research22 was accomplished through which AKK001 was discovered to yield higher ends in metabolic well being, when in comparison with analysis with NMN. AKK001 elevated insulin sensitivity have been elevated by 42.42 p.c after 12 weeks. Blood ldl cholesterol, blood triglycerides and blood glucose was additionally improved. Likewise physique weight, physique fats, waist circumference, and hip circumference all decreased. In contrast with the human scientific information on NMN,23 metabolic enchancment with AKK001 was 70 p.c increased than that of NMN.
Curiously, in a mouse enteritis mannequin, pasteurized AKK001 (postbiotic) carried out higher in contrast with a number of market AKK strains within the Illness Exercise Index (DAI), intestinal knot size ratio and different scores. Particularly, the AKK001 postbiotic decreased the DAI rating by 46 p.c, whereas the rating for different market AKK strains confirmed a lower of 36 p.c and 40 p.c.24
Conclusion
AKK is a postbiotic proven in analysis to supply significant advantages for enhancing insulin sensitivity, lowering insulinemia and plasma complete ldl cholesterol, in addition to lowering physique weight fats mass and hip circumference. The postbiotic AKK001 pressure (distributed within the U.S. by Nutraland USA) could provide better advantages for metabolic well being than different AKK strains.VR
References
1 Postbiotic Market Anticipated to Attain $3 Billion by 2031. Allied Market Analysis. Retrieved March 24, 2025 from www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/postbiotic-market.html.
2 Postbiotics: debate continues and the ISAPP definition beneficial properties help. ISAPP. Retrieved June 19, 2024 from https://isappscience.org/postbiotics-debate-continues-and-the-isapp-definition-gains-support/.
3 Liang B, Xing D. The Present and Future Views of Postbiotics. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2023;15(6):1626-1643.
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5 Cani PD, Depommier C, Derrien M, Everard A, de Vos WM. Akkermansia muciniphila: paradigm for next-generation helpful microorganisms. Nature Opinions Gastroenterology & Hepatology 2022 19:10. 2022;19(10):625-637.
6 Iwaza R, Wasfy RM, Dubourg G, Raoult D and Lagier J-C (2022) Akkermansia muciniphila: The cutting-edge, 18 years after its first discovery. Entrance. Gastroenterol. 1:1024393.
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8 Zhang X, et al. Human intestine microbiota modifications reveal the development of glucose intolerance. PLoS One. 2013;8:e71108.
9 Yassour M, et al. Sub-clinical detection of intestine microbial biomarkers of weight problems and kind 2 diabetes. Genome Med. 2016;8:17.
10 Yoon, H.S., Cho, C.H., Yun, M.S. et al. Akkermansia muciniphila secretes a glucagon-like peptide-1-inducing protein that improves glucose homeostasis and ameliorates metabolic illness in mice. Nat Microbiol. 2021; 6: 563–573.
11 Asnicar F, Leeming ER, Dimidi E, et al. Blue poo: influence of intestine transit time on the intestine microbiome utilizing a novel marker. Intestine. 2021;70(9):1665-1674.
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15 Depommier C, Van Hul M, Everard A, Delzenne NM, De Vos WM, Cani PD. Pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila will increase whole-body vitality expenditure and fecal vitality excretion in diet-induced overweight mice. Intestine Microbes. 2020;11(5):1231-1245.
16 Depommier C, Everard A, Druart C, Plovier H, Van Hul M, Vieira-Silva S et al (2019) Supplementation with Akkermansia muciniphila in obese and overweight human volunteers: a proof-of-concept exploratory research. Nat Med 25(7):1096–1103.
17 Depommier C, Everard A, Druart C, et al. Serum metabolite profiling yields insights into well being selling impact of A. muciniphila in human volunteers with a metabolic syndrome. Intestine Microbes. 2021;13(1):1994270.
18 Druart C, Plovier H, Van Hul M, et al. Toxicological security analysis of pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila. J Appl Toxicol. 2021;41(2):276-290.
19 EFSA Panel on Vitamin, Novel Meals and Meals Allergens (NDA), Dominique Turck, Torsten Bohn, Jacqueline Castenmiller, et al. Security of pasteurised Akkermansia muciniphila as a novel meals pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA J. 01 September 2021; https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6780.
20 Subsequent-generation probiotic AKK001. Unpublished.
21 Perraudeau F, McMurdie P, Bullard J, et al. Enhancements to postprandial glucose management in topics with kind 2 diabetes: a multicenter, double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial of a novel probiotic formulation. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2020;8(1):e001319. doi:10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001319.
22 Subsequent-generation probiotic AKK001. Unpublished.
23 Yoshino M, Yoshino J, Kayser BD, Patti G, Franczyk MP, Mills KF, Sindelar M, Pietka T, Patterson BW, Imai SI, Klein S. Nicotinamide mononucleotide will increase muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic girls. Science. 2021 Apr 22: eabe9985.
24 Subsequent-generation probiotic AKK001. Unpublished.
Gene Bruno, DBM, MHS, Professor Emeritus of Nutraceutical Science, is a author, educator and a nutraceutical scientist with greater than 45 years of expertise educating pure product retailers and well being care professionals and formulating pure merchandise for dozens of dietary complement firms. He has written articles on diet, natural drugs, nutraceuticals and integrative well being points for commerce, shopper magazines and peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bruno additionally hosts “The Vitamin Professor Podcast” dropped at you by VRM Media. He may be reached at eugenejbruno@gmail.com.
